AIRCRAFT CONTROL DEVICE, AIRCRAFT, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AIRCRAFT

• US 20150234388A1
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamasaki, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 9,383,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/006 Guided missiles training or simulation devices
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 9/002 for guiding a craft to a correct firing position for bombing control F41G9/02
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/107 specially adapted for missiles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0078 for monitoring traffic from the aircraft radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

An aircraft control device determines, on the basis of relative positional relations between an aircraft (40) and a target aircraft (42), a role of the individual aircraft (40) with respect to the target aircraft (42), and a trajectory of the individual craft (40) based on control operations determined according to the role of the individual aircraft (40). As an example, the aircraft control device represents the role of the individual aircraft (40) with respect to the target aircraft (42) as a numerical value and changes the role of the individual aircraft (40) a plurality of times by changing the numerical value. Every time the role of the individual aircraft (40) is changed, a minimum distance to target is calculated for the individual aircraft (40), and the role of the aircraft (40) having the largest minimum distance to target is determined as the role of the aircraft (40). As a result, the aircraft control device can determine appropriately and with ease the roles and trajectories, with respect to the target aircraft (42), of the plurality of aircrafts (40) in a formation.

Claims

1. An aircraft control device which obtains roles of a plurality of aircrafts in a formation and trajectories of the aircrafts, comprising:

calculation means for determining, on the basis of relative positional relations between the aircraft and a target aircraft, a role of the individual aircraft with respect to the target aircraft, and a trajectory of the individual aircraft based on control operations determined according to the role of the individual aircraft; and

transmitting means for transmitting the role of the aircraft and the trajectory of the aircraft determined by the calculation means to the corresponding individual aircraft.

2. The aircraft control device according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation means performs first determination processing in which the role of the aircraft is determined, according to an evaluation value based on an azimuth angle between the aircraft and the target aircraft.

3. The aircraft control device according to claim 2,

wherein the first determination processing applies a high evaluation value as a role of projecting a missile if the aircraft is an aircraft in which an amount of change of the azimuth angle required for opposing the aircraft to the target aircraft is small, applies a high evaluation value as a role of guiding the missile if the aircraft is an aircraft in which the target aircraft and the missile are positioned near an end of a guidance range of the missile, and applies a high evaluation value as a role of detecting or tracking the target aircraft if the aircraft is an aircraft in which the target aircraft is positioned near an end of an enemy detection range of the aircraft.

4. The aircraft control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

storage means for storing a plurality of rules which indicates the role of the aircraft corresponding to the relative positional relations between the aircraft and the target aircraft,

wherein the calculation means performs second determination processing in which the rule corresponding to the relative positional relations between the target aircraft and the aircraft is selected from the storage means and the role of the aircraft is determined from the selected rule.

5. The aircraft control device according to claim 4,

wherein the rule indicates the role of the aircraft corresponding to the relative positional relations between the target aircraft and the aircraft and an index which indicates whether or not the missile reaches the target aircraft.

6. The aircraft control device according to claim 4,

wherein the rule indicates the role of the aircraft using a common name which does not specify each of the aircraft and the target aircraft without using a proper name which specifies the aircraft and the target aircraft.

7. The aircraft control device according to claim 4,

wherein the rule is not only randomly generated but also arbitrarily generated in consideration of determination of a pilot of the aircraft.

8. The aircraft control device according to claim 4,

wherein a battle simulation in which a battle between the aircraft and the target aircraft is simulated is performed by continuously using the plurality of rules before being stored in the storage means along with elapsed times, and

wherein according to the rule used in the battle simulation, a score corresponding to achievement of a predetermined event in the battle simulation is added to the evaluation value of the rule, and the rule stored in the storage means is determined based on the evaluation value.

9. The aircraft control device according to claim 8,

wherein the score with respect to the rule in which the event is achieved is gradient-distributed in the rule which is used to reach the rule in which the event is achieved.

10. The aircraft control device according to claim 4,

wherein early generation creation processing is performed in which aggregations of a predetermined number of the rules are set to one individual, and a predetermined number of the individuals is generated as an early generation,

wherein evaluation value calculation processing is performed in which an evaluation value indicating superiority of the aircraft with respect to the target aircraft is calculated for each individual based on the trajectory of the aircraft determined by the battle simulation in which the battle between the aircraft and the target aircraft is simulated using a predetermined number of rules,

wherein the evaluation value calculation processing is performed every time the rule configuring the individuals is changed and a new generation is set, and

wherein when the change of the rule reaches a predetermined generation, the rule stored in the storage means is determined based on the individual having the highest evaluation value.

11. The aircraft control device according to claim 10,

wherein elimination and addition are performed based on the battle simulation in the rule configuring the individuals.

12. The aircraft control device according to claim 11,

wherein when two individuals are intersected to change the rule configuring the individuals, the intersection is performed based on the individual in which the number of the configured rules is smaller.

13. The aircraft control device according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation means performs third determination processing in which the role of the aircraft with respect to the target aircraft is represented by a numerical value, the role of the aircraft is changed a plurality of times by changing the numerical value, an evaluation value indicating superiority of the aircraft with respect to the target aircraft is calculated based on the role of the aircraft every time the role of the aircraft is changed, and the role of the aircraft is determined from the evaluation value.

14. The aircraft control device according to claim 13,

wherein in the third determination processing, the role of the aircraft and an initial disposition position of the aircraft with respect to the target aircraft are represented by a numerical value, the role and the initial disposition position of the aircraft are changed by changing the numerical value, and the evaluation value is calculated every time the role and the initial disposition position of the aircraft are changed.

15. The aircraft control device according to claim 13,

wherein in the third determination processing, the role of the aircraft and the trajectory of the aircraft are determined for each predetermined time interval.

16. The aircraft control device according to claim 13,

wherein the evaluation value is calculated based on an estimation result of the trajectory of the target aircraft.

17. The aircraft control device according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation means performs fourth determination processing in which a battle simulation in which a battle between the aircraft and the target aircraft is simulated is performed every time the roles of the aircraft with respect to the target aircraft are combined, and the role of the aircraft and the trajectory of the aircraft are determined based on an evaluation value which is obtained from the simulation result and indicates superiority of the aircraft with respect to the target aircraft.

18. The aircraft control device according to claim 1,

wherein the calculation means performs the fourth determination processing so that only a predetermined number of aircrafts corresponds to a predetermined number of target aircrafts corresponding to a threat level when a required time of the battle simulation for combinations of all roles does not end within a predetermined time.

20. An aircraft comprising the aircraft control device according to claim 1.

19. An aircraft control device which obtains roles of a plurality of aircrafts in a formation and trajectories of the aircrafts, comprising:

calculation means for determining, on the basis of relative positional relations between the aircraft and a target aircraft, a role of the individual aircraft with respect to the target aircraft, and a trajectory of the individual aircraft based on control operations determined according to the role of the individual aircraft;

transmitting means for transmitting the role of the aircraft and the trajectory of the aircraft determined by the calculation means to the corresponding individual aircraft; and

storage means for storing a plurality of rules which indicates the role of the aircraft corresponding to the relative positional relations between the aircraft and the target aircraft,

wherein the calculation means determines one role and one trajectory, as the role of the aircraft and the trajectory of the aircraft, among the roles of the aircraft and the trajectories of the aircraft obtained by at least two of the following;

i) a first determination processing in which the role of the aircraft is determined, according to an evaluation value based on an azimuth angle between the aircraft and the target aircraft;

ii) a second determination processing in which the rule corresponding to the relative positional relations between the target aircraft and the aircraft is selected from the storage means and the role of the aircraft is determined from the selected rule;

iii) a third determination in which the role of the aircraft with respect to the target aircraft is represented by a numerical value, the role of the aircraft is changed a plurality of times by changing the numerical value, an evaluation value indicating superiority of the aircraft with respect to the target aircraft is calculated based on the role of the aircraft every time the role of the aircraft is changed, and the role of the aircraft is determined from the evaluation value; and

iv) a fourth determination processing in which a battle simulation in which a battle between the aircraft and the target aircraft is simulated is performed every time the roles of the aircraft with respect to the target aircraft are combined, and the role of the aircraft and the trajectory of the aircraft are determined based on an evaluation value which is obtained from the simulation result and indicates superiority of the aircraft with respect to the target aircraft.

21. A method for controlling an aircraft which obtains roles of a plurality of aircrafts in a formation and trajectories of the aircrafts, comprising:

a first step of determining, on the basis of relative positional relations between the aircraft and a target aircraft, a role of the individual aircraft with respect to the target aircraft, and a trajectory of the individual aircraft based on control operations determined according to the role of the individual aircraft; and

a second step of transmitting the determined role and trajectory of the aircraft to the corresponding individual aircraft.